The country of Malaysia is filled with unique and rich cultures, heritage and food. If you’re visiting for the first time (or if you’re back for more) and want the true to heart local experience, be sure to experience all these simple yet beautiful things that make Malaysia a place you’ll never forget.

1. We can speak up to 4 languages - and you can hear them being used in one single sentence

Cultures speaking their own mother tongue whether being Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil or English is very common, most people living in Malaysia are able to speak a minimum of 3 languages. This is because it is compulsory for students to learn Malay and English – as Malay is our national language and English being a universal language. Students that attend specialized Chinese or Tamil schools will be required to learn the respective languages as well. With all the various languages floating around Malaysia, it’s not surprising to have them integrate with each other and is not an unusual thing to happen.

An example would be: Ahneh (Tamil), dapao (Mandarin) teh tarik satu (Malay), thank you (English)

Roughly translates to: Brother, I’ll have a teh tarik to-go, thank you

2. We eat non-stop - that’s why there’s endless food options at every corner and some are even open 24/7

Malaysians LOVE eating! We love eating so much that we usually plan our next meal whilst eating our current one. The choices of what to eat are endless at any time of the day. From the 24-hour eateries, restaurants, hawker stalls, roadside stalls and pasar malam (night market) of all sorts of local food available. Malaysia has a buzzing cuisine nightlife serving food items such as Ramly (local burgers) to Chinese hotpot and Malay satay (meat skewers). Also, late night catch up with friends at a Mamak (roadside restaurant) over food and Teh Tarik (pulled tea) is something all Malaysians love doing regardless of race and religion.

3. We love fusion as we live in one of the most diverse countries in Asia - you’ll experience this in the food and lifestyle

As mentioned, Malaysians love their food and we don’t limit ourselves to our culture’s cuisine. Much like mixing our dialects together, we love mixing our foods as well (not all at once, of course). We could be having Nasi Lemak (coconut milk and pandan rice) for breakfast, fish noodles for lunch and Sup Tulang (Malay bone soup) for dinner. Also, if you’re heading to a hawker centre or pasar malam, you’ll most likely be able to get all the various types of cuisine in one place! We’ve also got plenty of halal food options, as well as traditional Chinese, Indian, Western and Middle-East cuisines.

If you’re looking at stuff to try from all the different cultures, be sure to check out our local food scene dishes to try! Part 1 and Part 2 of the top dishes to try in Malaysia.

4. We celebrate everyone else’s celebrations and we do it loud and proud

Much like everything else in Malaysia being integrated, our festivals are no different. Let’s be honest – we just love a good reason to celebrate! The louder and more joyful the better! The main reason is a belief to express joyous feelings to ward off any negativity and demons wanting to ruin this occasion. We locals love a good loud procession whether it is the lion dance during Chinese New Year, the sounds of kompang (traditional Malay hand instrument), the Thaipusam procession or lighting up Christmas trees.

During every culture’s festival – Hari Raya, Deepavali, Chinese New Year or Christmas, you can rest assured that you will be invited to your friends ‘open house’ to celebrate with – more food! Because of our adaptive and friendly nature, travellers will feel welcomed and at home when they visit Malaysia.

5. We might complain a lot but we’re really patriotic deep down, and we love our local heroes

There are certain things that get on our nerves like the rise of petrol prices, why there isn’t any available parking, people driving slowly on the road, why the weather is so hot and humid and especially, “WHY SO JAM!” - Yeah, it could sound a little ungrateful, or maybe we just have high expectations, but the truth is we love our country wholeheartedly. We are also extremely proud of our local heroes who have done Malaysia so proud by putting their names out into the world. We published an article on ‘8 Successful People You Probably Didn't Know Are From Malaysia’, you can check it out here.

When need be, we will come together as one through our differences for our country - especially during tough times like now. A global pandemic has united us even more in order to face the challenges that come with it. We’re all in this together! We know it’s hard to believe that we are only in the first quarter of 2020, and the year has already thrown us so many curveballs. Sadly, we’re all affected in some way.

Our hearts go out to everyone who’s had to deal with unfortunate circumstances due to COVID-19. And we hope that there’s some sort of silver lining on the other side of this. We sincerely believe that we will get through this. In the meantime, may we lean into the good stuff that remains. And most importantly: Be supportive, careful, alert and kind.

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Buddyz is a travel platform powered by locals, a.k.a. the most knowledgeable and interesting experts, the ones that know the country best! We want to encourage people to travel more meaningfully, to immerse themselves in local culture, and to connect with people from the places they visit.

So on our platform, you will find what we call ‘Experiences’ for every interest - ranging from cultural walks, intimate meals at secluded local eateries to creative workshops and classes. All of which are led by locals and are vetted for quality.

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